This video is a bit long, but a great demonstration of how to cover up acne while drawing attention to your best features and the areas where your skin is clear. This one is from a British makeup artist, so for those of you who need a translation – “spots” = pimples.

Many people complain about their forehead acne and mistakenly believe that it is caused by their makeup. In fact, it can actually be your hair that is the reason, as one of our readers correctly guessed.

Question: I have bangs and I’ve been noticing that I have a lot more acne on my forehead than usual. Is this because of my bangs? If so, what can I do to prevent the acne?

Answer:

Having bangs actually can affect some girls’ skin, especially those with oily skin or hair. Here are some tips for determining if your hair is one of the causes of your forehead acne and how to prevent it:

First, try keeping your bangs off your forehead for about a week or two. If your acne starts to get better, then you know that your bangs are probably the source of the problem. If this happens, don’t worry! There are many things you can do to prevent your bangs from giving you acne.

Make sure that you wash your bangs thoroughly every day and try not to use any hair products in them, since oils and products in your bangs can transfer to your skin and break you out.

If you are exercising or sweating at all, keep your bangs off your face using hair clips or a headband.

If you find that your bangs get oily during the day, use a dry shampoo or baby powder to soak up the oils.

To treat the acne in the meantime, try using an over the counter salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide treatment once a day.

Last but not least, make sure to wash your face thoroughly in the morning and at night to keep your skin fresh!

You can always conceal the acne on your forehead while it is healing. Check out some of our recommendations for the best makeup for oily acne prone skin to find ones that will work for you without making you break out further.

Rachel

P.S. You can also use an acne makeup that has medicine in it to help heal the breakout. Read our article on The Best Two-in-One Products for some recommendations.

Do you love playing around with makeup, trying out different looks, or doing makeovers on your friends? Are you passionate about the idea of doing what you love as a career? If you are interested in learning how to become a makeup artist from the comfort of your own home, then this review is for you!

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, then you might have read my previous post about the University of Makeup. I wrote that review after my first experience with theirBasic Makeup Course which, as the name suggests, has a series of basic makeup video tutorials that take you through all the steps you need for applying your own makeup. However, they also have two other courses. One is for people that want to learn how to apply bridal makeup. It includes a series of video tutorials that demonstrate how to achieve different types of bridal looks, such as romantic, modern, or Asian. The other is an extensive series of video tutorials that covers absolutely everything.

Learn how to become a professional makeup artist online

The University of Makeup’s third, and largest, program is called the Full Makeup Course. This is the series that teaches you everything you need to know to become a professional makeup artist, all through online video tutorials. At the end, you have to fulfill specific requirements before receiving an official makeup artist certificate.

What the Full Makeup Course Includes:

Access to all the videos from the Basic and Bridal Makeup Courses, along with many more.

The complete course consists of 67 video tutorials (they just added another 19 videos before I published this review)!

Additional lessons cover everything from photo shoot makeup and corrective makeup to how to give a makeup lesson and how to apply makeup to different types of face features and skin.

Tons of other freebies, including MAC face charts, a slew of e-books, and makeup artistry templates

Personal support from a professional makeup artist

A professional makeup artist certificate, after completing all the videos and requirements

Important note: While it is not required to get a certificate, if you want to receive the professional certification you will need to reproduce a number of looks and send those pictures to the University of Makeup. You also need to complete an online exam.

Before I tell you about my own experience with the videos, here’s a look at their promotional video. You might not want to watch the full video, but there’s some great before and after images of what you will learn (plus some fun music).

My own experience:

Since there are so many videos in the course, I didn’t go through the complete course yet and get the certificate. However, I did watch a large number of the videos and was extremely impressed with the quality and professionalism. These are not the types of videos you see on YouTube where someone just sets up a camera and puts some makeup on themselves or someone else. This is a professional makeup artist walking you through every step of the way. You learn about which makeup to use, the correct brushes, and all different techniques. You get to see the artist totally transform herself.

Some of the best tips I got out of the course had to do with working with my own imperfections. I now know that I need to put eyeliner just on my lower lid to make my eyes look bigger. I also concentrate my darker eyeshadow just on the outer part of my upper eyelid to accentuate my eyes when wearing my eyeglasses. I’m extremely nearsighted, so my eyes can look really tiny otherwise.

Loads of free ebooks on all types of beauty topics, delivered to your email regularly

Cons:

Expensive if you just want the videos and are not interested in becoming a professional, but far cheaper than going to a makeup school

As with any video tutorial, it’s not quite the same as having a live instructor who watches you apply the makeup

I’m sure I’ve missed something, but there are so many features in the course that I couldn’t list them all.

If you really want to learn how to become a makeup artist, online is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to do it. I highly recommend that you go check out the Full Makeup Course at University of Makeup for something truly exceptional and professional. Actually, I love it just because I can go watch a video any time I want on any makeup technique or look that I want to play around with that day.

Sharyn

P.S. Don’t forget that you can also get the basic makeup video tutorials in theBasic Makeup Course.

I just received the following question from a reader and, since finding the best makeup for teenagers is such a common concern, I decided to address it in a post for everyone to share.

Question: I’m 16, and becoming interested in beginning to wear makeup. My skin has a cool undertone (it’s quite pale), and I think my brown hair has more of a “warm” one (it reflects a coppery colour in sunlight). My acne is currently under control due to the medications I’m using, but I can break out at the drop of a hat. What are some product/colour recommendations you might have for face powder, concealer, and some other basics? I’m pretty frugal, so I’m looking for mid- to low-range pricing.

Thanks!!

Hi Alana,

That’s so great that you’re interested in starting to use makeup and learning how to use it correctly! My skin and hair are actually very similar to yours, so I’m going to recommend to you some of the best drugstore makeup products that have worked wonders for me.

The drugstore is a great place to find makeup and I’m a huge fan of the brands found there. CoverGirl’s “Clean” line has specific products meant for sensitive skin and I love their liquid foundation and pressed powder. They also have a pretty large color range with plenty of pale shades!

If you’re looking for eye makeup, I would recommend starting with a neutral palette such as the CoverGirl “Country Woods” palette or the Wet ‘n’ Wild “Vanity” palette.

My favorite natural-looking mascara is Maybelline’s Full ‘n’ Soft mascara in a dark brown shade, since sometimes black can be too dramatic on pale skin.

Professional makeup artists know how to use makeup to contour your face and create the illusion of perfection, even without any airbrush or photoshop tricks. For the rest of us, contouring is often seen as only existing successfully on the stage or at a professional photo shoot. This is certainly not the case! When done correctly, contouring is a simple and easy way to make your face look slimmer and your features more defined and radiant.

We’ve got three tricks that will help you learn how to use your makeup to contour your facethat you can master quickly. You will need to have some good makeup brushes on hand to use these methods effectively. If you don’t already own some, check out the Sephora deluxe antibacterial brush set. They are excellent quality and a good value. You can also buy individual ones to fill in any gaps in your brush kit. My favorite are from Bobbi Brown. I’ve had them for years and they are still in excellent condition.

Now, grab your brushes and start sculpting!

1. How to Slim Your Face

A slimmer face is a goal that to some may only seem possible through weight loss, but with a little bit of contouring makeup, you can have a slimmer looking face in less than five minutes. You will need a non-shimmery, matte bronzer three shades darker than your skin tone and a small fluffy face or bronzer brush. If you are having difficulties finding a bronzer without shimmer, simply use a face powder a few shades darker than you would usually wear. Dip your brush lightly in the bronzer and create the “E” “3” shape on your face. To do this, start at your temple and curve the brush around and under your cheekbone, then back around and under your jaw. This creates a letter “E” on your left side and a number “3” on your right side. Then, use a clean brush or makeup sponge to blend any harsh lines.

2. How to Sculpt Your Nose

A simple trick to making your nose seem slimmer and straighter involves the same bronzer or dark face powder you used to contour your face and an eyeshadow brush. Dip your eyeshadow brush lightly in the bronzer and run it vertically down from the bridge of the nose to the tip on each side of your nose, leaving the center of your nose clean. To create a more defined tip of the nose, create a tiny “V” under the tip of the nose using the bronzer and eyeshadow brush. Use a clean fluffy brush to blend all harsh lines.

3. The Best Way to Use Highlighting

The last step to creating a perfectly defined and contoured face is to highlight your key features. You can use a liquid, cream, or powder highlighter in the color and shade of your choice. For this step, a shimmery product is preferred. If you are using a powder highlighter, clean your small fluffy brush from the face contouring step and use it to brush the highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones, down the center of your nose, in the middle of your forehead, and on your cupid’s bow. If you choose a liquid or cream highlighting product, repeat the same steps using your fingers and blend out lightly. For a long-lasting effect, layer your products by first using a cream or liquid highlighter, then going over it with a corresponding powder highlighter.

All done! Now, all you have to do is practice. It may take you a few times and a little experimenting to find the right colors, but you’ll be amazed at the difference a few contouring tricks can make.

Want to learn more about how to apply makeup like a professional? Check out the video tutorials from the University of Makeup. They will also recommend the right professional style brushes and makeup to use. I even learned how to apply makeup when I’m wearing my glasses so that my eyes look bigger!